I am Not My Hair

Share the joy

I am known amongst my family to have very bad hair. It is usually pulled back in a bun, with the front half looking busted and sticking out everywhere. Tired of looking at my crazy look is how I ended up on my way to a house on Crenshaw Boulevard a few weeks ago. A friend of mine had offered to do cornrows for me; a kind of hairdo that looks similar to the one Atse Tewodros is famous for. For me, the visit was supposed to be a quick stop in my busy day to get a temporary break from my usual look. But it turned out to be more than that for me. First of all, I realized how much hair is a big business in America, and how it affects everyday life. Second, I am now interested in learning the history behind different styles.

As soon as I got to my friend’s house, I felt like I had left reality and stepped into a movie screen. Complete with the friendly grandmother at the stove, the quiet and a little overweight grandfather in the living room, and a score of children, the Madea movies came to my mind. I later learned that the kids were there because the house also served as a day care. After greeting and smiling at everyone, I was led to the kitchen. I stood uncertainly in the middle waiting for someone to direct me to the place where I would get my hair done. But my friend Sheri pulled out a chair for me right there, just a few feet from the stove. “Sit down girl, whachu looking all wide-eyed for?” It took me just a few seconds to snap back, shrug, and just slide into the chair.

The kitchen, just like any home with a large number of people living in it, has a lot of stuff. There are several pictures of mugs with hot coffee steaming out of them on the walls; I imagine to induce a feeling of warmth and welcome to whoever is in there.

At this point, Sheri starts doing my hair, and I just sit there and look around me. Her grandmother is boiling sausages for the kids, and her mother is sitting right in front of me. We all launch into a conversation about hair, and the different styles and textures out there.

Sheri’s mother is a doctor by profession. That day, she had her hair in an afro. She told me she likes doing afros and other hairstyles whose names escape me now. “But even if I like those styles, I don’t do them much because I don’t want to scare my white colleagues”, she told me. She then told me her experience once when she had started a new job:

Upon arriving on my first day at a new job a few years ago, I made my way to the receptionist to announce myself. As soon as I said good morning, she said ‘Hi. All the patients are waiting upstairs for the doctor, second door to your left.’ I smiled politely and told her that I was not a patient, that I was actually the doctor and was starting work that day.

She gave my afro a quick look upon hearing that, and was looking so incredulous and shocked that I could feel myself getting angry. I had to exercise a lot of self control and take deep breaths to calm myself down and just let it go. I did not want to say something bad that I would regret later.

After hearing her experience, I realized hair is not something most people take lightly here. The style you choose can and will affect how other people regard you. The hair business is a multi-billion dollar industry. Most women could have a busted car or apartment, but their hair is always on point. I am going to do a lot more research and will come up with a more comprehensive background on the history of African American and Ethiopian styles. For now, you can watch the documentary movie Chris Rock made on hair, below is a short clip from it.

Share the joy

Author: Makeda Yasenlul

If you’re reading this thank you for allowing me to steal a few minutes of your day to introduce you to me- the eccentric author of this blog. My name is Makeda Yasenlul and I’m a 20 something (let your imagination run wild) year old immigrant living in Los Angeles, California. This site was birthed from the longing I had of my birthplace Ethiopia, so I utilize this medium to express said thoughts, ideas, and feelings to you my readers. I surely have no filter, so anything that strikes me as worthy of sharing I will do so without hesitation, you have been warned. My thoughts are just those, MY THOUGHTS. I will not sugarcoat or whitewash the content I post on here, because then I would be doing you a disservice by not giving you my honest opinion. I also encourage other people to contribute in the form of comments or even as fellow authors (after passing my rigorous test of course). Thank you again and Enjoy.
View all posts by Makeda Yasenlul